Tag Archives: Pearls and Irritations policy series

This is a repost from May 13, 2015. There are many key public issues that we must address such as climate change, growing inequality, tax avoidance, budget repair, an ageing population, lifting our productivity and our treatment of asylum seekers. … Continue reading →

Policy Series. Australia is currently facing a challenging situation in which the economy needs to transform from one very largely driven by investments in the minerals and energy sector to one which has a wider spread of investment drivers. The … Continue reading →

Policy Series In January 2013, as she launched her government’s National Security Strategy, then Prime Minister Julia Gillard proclaimed that Australia’s decade of terrorism was over. Her argument was that al Qaeda had failed to regenerate after being degraded in … Continue reading →

Policy Series While it is important to consider our tax and transfer arrangements as a single integrated system, there are various (overlapping) parts to it: retirement incomes (including superannuation tax arrangements and the age pension), the core welfare system (pensions … Continue reading →

Policy Series Inequality is a complex issue. It is affected by many factors, so that it can increase as a result of beneficial changes as well as socially undesirable ones, and can decrease because of changes that reduce overall social … Continue reading →

Policy Series Australia has a reputation for egalitarianism, as a country where, in comparison with Old World countries, wages were good and, to quote Lawson, where people “call no reason to call no biped lord or sir”. Up to around … Continue reading →

Policy Series By most of the usually accepted markers the health of Australia’s indigenous people compares unfavourably with that of other Australians. This has been known for decades and numerous strategies and programs have been developed to correct this inequity. … Continue reading →

Policy Series It is unlikely that at any time since 1788 a sample of Indigenous Australians would agree they have enjoyed fairness opportunity and security. It is similarly unlikely that any Minister responsible for Indigenous Affairs, past or present, would … Continue reading →

Policy Series Introduction Like we do in many areas, such as sport and financial services, Australian conservation punches above its weight in the international arena. Australia is signatory to all major multilateral environmental agreements including the Convention on Biological Diversity … Continue reading →

Policy Series Given that the substantial threat brought about by anthropogenic climate change has been recognised for a quarter of a century, it is remarkable that global policy makers have been so dilatory in responding to it. Voluminous scientific and … Continue reading →

Policy Series Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists[*] When faced with significant environmental challenges in the past, Australian governments, businesses, communities and individuals have shown their capacity for responding creatively and energetically to environmental challenges, with positive outcomes for the health … Continue reading →

Policy Series I once called climate change policy diabolical, but with a saving grace (Garnaut 2008). It is diabolical because of the overlapping of four complex issues. While there is high scientific confidence that human action causes warming and that, … Continue reading →

Policy Series There are a number of givens about schools and their students. Both are critical to economy and society. The level of collective student achievement can create future dividends – or deficits. The quality of school education not only … Continue reading →

Policy Series Knowledge capital is the real wealth of nations. If you stop to think about it, what matters more for opportunity, fairness and security than the skills, talents and ideas of the people? Yes, other things matter, but in … Continue reading →

Fairness, Opportunity and Security. Policy Series edited by Michael Keating and John Menadue. With many other people, we are concerned about the policy vacuum and the poor level of public debate on important policy issues. We began a series of articles … Continue reading →

Policy Series. With a federal election due in 13 months and the Coalition Government not travelling well enough to be confident of re-election, what should an incoming Health Minister focus on to ensure we have a highly skilled, professional and … Continue reading →

Policy Series In Part 1 of this series I described the areas in our health sector that need reform. In Part 2 I spoke of the obstacles, particularly those imposed by vested interests in the health sector to protect their … Continue reading →

Policy Series. In Part 1 on health policy reform I outlined the main areas where health reform is necessary. In Part 2 I examine the reasons why I think health reform is so hard. In part 3 I will consider … Continue reading →

Policy Series I will be posting three articles on health policy. This article outlines the priority areas where reform is necessary. Part 2 will explain why reform is so difficult but not impossible. Part 3 will be about processes and … Continue reading →

Fairness, Opportunity and Security. Policy series edited by Michael Keating and John Menadue. Do Human Rights Fit or Should We Just Forget About Them? Hard upon the ascent of violent terrorism in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere, and Australia’s … Continue reading →

Fairness, Opportunity and Security Policy series edited by Michael Keating and John Menadue. The policy rationale behind a national broadband network would appear to be a simple one. The objective would be to part subsidise the construction of a national … Continue reading →

Fairness, Opportunity and Security. Policy series edited by Michael Keating and John Menadue. In the 2013 Federal election, neither of Australia’s major political parties took forward a detailed media policy. This was surprising as one of the main features of … Continue reading →

Fairness, Opportunity and Security. Policy series edited by Michael Keating and JohnMenadue. 3.1 Overview The migration process starts in earnest after a visa is given to a migrant. Its success or otherwise is determined after the person arrives in Australia … Continue reading →

Policy Series Part 2: Refugee Policy 2.1 Overview The current and future global environment for irregular migration is extremely challenging. Many more people are on the move globally to gain protection from persecution, security from conflict or greater economic … Continue reading →

Policy Series I have been giving presentations recently in which I have exhorted the creative community to accept responsibility for: – Writing refreshed meaningful arts policies for federal political parties to inform a renewed approach for support and activity; Forming … Continue reading →

Fairness, Opportunity and Security. Policy series edited by Michael Keating and John Menadue. IT’S TIME TO think much more seriously about culture. For years we bought the Clinton truism, ‘It’s the economy, stupid’, but this simple binary no longer provides … Continue reading →

Fairness, Opportunity and Security Policy series edited by Michael Keating and John Menadue. Overview This paper sets out a broad design for Australia’s immigration, refugee and settlement policies for the coming decades. The issues are covered in three parts: Immigration … Continue reading →

Fairness, Opportunity and Security Policy series edited by Michael Keating and John Menadue. To paraphrase Paul Keating, right now every galah in the pet shop seems to favour more infrastructure spending. The current Prime Minister wants ‘to be remembered as … Continue reading →